Body lifting wrap
A body wrap for quick lifting and transport of a patient's body or provide assistance to a patient or accident victim in standing or securing an injured limb during transport in a wheelchair, comprising a flexible canvas wrap that is placed and secured around parts of the body and where the supporting wrap has flexible handles that permit the wrap to be grasped and lifted by one or more attendants.
The present invention relates to a flexible litter device for lifting and transferring an incapacitated person.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONRemoving and transporting an injured accident victim from a wrecked automobile presents problems that cannot be dealt with by stretchers or the gurneys that are standard equipment in ambulances and rescue vehicles. The problem has been addressed in some prior art patents but the solutions offered are complex and largely inefficient. In less critical types of situations there is a need for facilitating movement of a patient from one area to another when no mechanical means are available.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,110 discloses a transfer harness for lifting and transporting a large person but it does not provide for easy attachment to the victim or means for attending personnel to lift the harness.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,454 provides for an emergency extrication appliance but its cervical immobilizing collar and body straps unduly complicate the apparatus and are unnecessary if neck injuries are not suspected.
Published U.S. patent application No. US2002/0149253 discloses seating apparatus enabling rapid removal of an injured occupant from a vehicle in which the seat is installed. The disadvantage of this device is that is must be installed in the vehicle to be of any use.
The primary object of the present invention is to provide a simple low cost lifting wrap that can be quickly and easily inserted beneath or around the body or body extremities of an injured or incapacitated person and, with the aid of lifting handles attached at appropriate points on the wrap, the person can be transported by two attendants.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONGenerically, the present invention comprises a flexible canvas supporting wrap having means to secure it around a portion of a human body and having flexible handles attached at appropriate points to the wrap to permit the wrap and a human body or the extremities thereof to be lifted and transported.
The preferred form of the body lifting wrap is shown in
In operation, the flexible back support 4 is inserted beneath the patient by sliding it behind the patient's back and puling the legs 6 up under the thighs, and around the torso and chest to a position, as shown in
A second form of the invention is seen illustrated in
The third embodiment of the invention is illustrated in
Claims
1. A litter for lifting or carrying a disabled person, comprising,
- a quadrilateral shaped flexible torso support having top and bottom edges and non parallel lateral sides and a torso facing surface, a flexible handle having spaced apart first and second ends, each of said ends being attached to and within the perimeter of the torso facing surface proximate to and parallel with each of the non parallel lateral sides, and where the portion of the handle intermediate the said ends is spaced from the torso facing surface to allow for gripping of the handle, a pair of elongated leg members depending from and integral with the bottom edge of the torso support, each having a torso facing surface and distal ends, a flexible handle attached to the distal end of each leg member, a plurality of spaced apart flexible leg handles attached to each leg member intermediate the distal end of the leg and the bottom edge of the torso support, each of said leg handles being spaced apart from the torso facing surface of the leg member to allow for gripping of the handle.
2. A method for one or more persons to lift or carry a disabled person comprising the steps of:
- placing the flexible torso support of claim 1 beneath the torso of the disabled person,
- bringing a first leg member, depending from the torso support, under the left leg thigh of the person and upwardly across the torso of the person to a position beneath the right arm of the person,
- bringing a second leg member, depending from the torso support, under the right leg thigh of the person and upwardly across the torso of the person to a position beneath the left arm of the person,
- positioning one of a plurality of flexible handles attached to the first leg member next to a flexible handle attached to a lateral side of the torso support proximate the upper torso of the person and under the person's right arm,
- positioning one of a plurality of flexible handles attached to the second leg member next to a flexible handle attached to a lateral side of the torso support proximate the upper torso of the person and under the person's left arm,
- establishing a first lifting point by gripping together the positioned handles under the right arm of the person,
- establishing a second lifting point by gripping together the positioned handles under the left arm of the person, and
- lifting the disabled person by applying upward force on the first and second lifting points.
Type: Grant
Filed: Sep 22, 2011
Date of Patent: Aug 28, 2012
Inventor: Lindsay Kocet (Highlands Ranch, CO)
Primary Examiner: Robert G Santos
Attorney: Hanes & Bartels LLC
Application Number: 13/240,864
International Classification: A61G 7/14 (20060101); A61G 7/12 (20060101);